Canon XL1 Instruction Manual

Preparation
21
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Turning off the tally lamps
The tally lamps let you know that the camera is
recording. However, the flashing of the front lamp
may be reflected into the lens during close-up
recording, or when recording through glass.
You may therefore decide to turn them off.
TALLY LAMP¥¥OFF
1. Open either the camera menu or the VCR menu, and point the arrow at TALLY LAMP.
2. Select the OFF setting and close the menu.
¥ The tally lamps no longer flash during recording, but they will still light up when...

Preparation
22
E
Setting the Date and Time
The date and/or time display forms part of the data code. You can choose to display or hide it during
playback (see p. 54).
Set the date and time display when you first start using your camera. Install the backup battery before you
begin (see p. 63). 
1.Turn the POWER dial to a recording program or to VCR.
2. Open the menu and select D/TIME SET.
¥ The year display starts to flash in the viewfinder.
3. Press the rortcursor key to change the year. Press the...

Recording
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23
Basic Recording
¥ Attach a power source (p. 13).
¥ Load a cassette (p. 15).
¥ Remove the lens cap and fasten the shoulder pad (p. 17).
¥ Adjust the viewfinder (p. 10).
¥ Choose your grip Ñ side or top (p. 65).
You may also want to install the backup battery (p. 63) in order to set the date and time display (p. 22).
POWER
VCR
OFF
Tv
Av
MA
STANDBY
1
2
START/STOP
Before you start recording
To record
Using the STANDBY button
1. Turn the POWER dial to[p.
¥ This selects the cameraÕs Easy...

Recording
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24
You can record and play back a tape in SP (standard play) and LP (long play) modes. LP extends tape usage
by 1.5 times.
To switch to LP mode, select REC MODE from the camera or VCR menu, select LP and then close the
menu (for instructions on how to use the menus, refer to page 18).
Changing the recording mode (SP/LP)
You can show/hide non-essential camera recording
displays by pressing the EVF DISPLAY button.
Note:
¥ You cannot hide the time code or recording
condition (REC, PAUSE etc.)...

Recording
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25
Zooming (for Zoom Lenses)
Operate the zoom controls from either the side grip or the camera handle.
Turn the zoom control towards W to zoom out to wide-angle.
Turn it towards T to zoom in to telephoto.
You can also zoom in and out using the lensÕs zoom ring.
To control the speed of zooming (using the zoom control on the side grip and the lensÕs zoom ring):
¥ Move the control/ring slightly to zoom slowly.
¥ Turn it further to zoom more quickly. (The further you turn the zoom control/ring,...

Recording
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26
32´digital zoom
Activate the digital zoom to double the cameraÕs zoom range.
The zoom control continues to work as usual Ñ the camera automatically switches between optical
zooming and digital zooming.
¥ Image resolution is slightly lower when the magnification exceeds the optical zoom range.
1. Turn the POWER dial to any recording program.
2. Press the D.EFFECT SELECT button to move through the list of effects in the viewfinder,
until you reach D.ZOOM.
Activating the digital zoom
3. Press...

Recording
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27
Turning the SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer On/Off
ON STABILIZER
OFF
The Optical Image Stabilizer can compensate for a wide range of camera movement Ñ you can record
stable images even if you are shooting from a moving car.
Before you start recording, slide the STABILIZER switch on the video lens to turn the image stabilizer on
or off.
Notes:
¥ The image stabilizer is designed to deal with a normal degree of camera shake.
¥ Keep the image stabilizer turned off when the camera is...

Recording
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28
On bright days or when recording very bright scenes, despite the iris being at its smallest aperture, blurring
of the image may occur. In such cases, using an ND filter should remove this problem. The 16
´zoom lens
XL comes with a built-in ND filter.
The ND FILTER switch is located on the body of the XL lens. 
Slide the ND FILTER switch to ON to use the filter. 
¥ ND is shown continuously in the display while the ND filter is switched on.
When the camera is set to the Easy or Auto...

Recording
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29
Taking Still Pictures (Photo Mode)
You can record still pictures like a photograph. The camera records the picture to tape for approximately 6
seconds. The exposure is automatically adjusted.
There are two PHOTO buttons, to let you take still images from both gripping positions.
1. Set the camera to standby mode (turn the POWER dial to a recording program).
2. Press the PHOTO button lightly.
¥ ÒPHOTOÓ flashes at the bottom right of the viewfinder.
¥ During autofocus  flashes white in the...

Recording
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30
Choosing the Movie Mode (Normal/Frame)
The Frame mode can be used when you want to look at a video, scene by scene, free from field slippage
(the ÒflickerÓ that normally occurs when you pause a video). The vertical resolution of the image is
improved by 1.5
´. During playback, pause the video any time you like to view a crystal clear still image in
the display or on a connected TV screen. It is also possible to transfer your favorite still pictures to a PC for
image enhancement and print...